New Haven's youth guide to summer is here

Published 12:00 am, Wednesday, June 12, 2013

NEW HAVEN >> Schools let out soon and thousands of city kids will be looking for something to do.

About 25 percent of the city's students, or 5,000 kids, are enrolled in summer school, according to Mayor John. DeStefano Jr.

Thousands more will be searching for some excitement this summer.

"I think New Haven kids are extraordinary achievers and they're ambitious about their time and sometimes like all of us, they need a little structure," DeStefano said Wednesday.

He added that the goal is to have a presence in every neighborhood and have programs that address as many ages as possible.

The Mayor's Summer Youth Guide lists more than 70 summer programs for New Haven youths of any age to take part in. If free is your favorite price, 33 of the listed programs are free of cost. Some of the more costly camps or programs can run you $250 a month.

Camp New Haven is one free option for city residents ages 8 to 12. The program runs from July 1 to August 2, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Children will be occupied with trips to baseball games and physical activities such as hiking and swimming, Officer James Baker said. The camp is accepting 150 students; applications and medical paperwork must be submitted by June 14.

Children's Community Program is offering five free summer programs. For parents with children who face unique learning challenges, the program runs a "medically complex program" for children who need special assistance.

On July 1 the New Haven Housing Authority will launch its Summer Training Employment Program, STEP. The program places 20 residents, ages 14 to 18 and up, in different company departments like finance, operations or human resources. Residents will be paid for their time and will be expected to take part in mandatory training in job skills, financial literacy, resume writing and more, said Jasmin Franjul, Housing Authority public information officer.

Solar Youth, which offers summer programs for children as young as 4, also offers paid summer internships for high school students. High school students are invited to apply to be Green Jobs Apprentices.

"We're going to be employing youth to do service projects in their community, so actually go out identify issues and make change, positive changes in their community," said Joanne Sciulli, executive director at Solar Youth.

The list of programs is only a snippet of what the city has to offer. Many organizations are doing "good work" and providing programs under the radar, said Stephen Driffin, of the Youth Services Bureau. Driffin said he hopes next year the guide will be twice as thick as the city continues to identify the available programs.